Chapman warner



O. WARNER. BENZOLE LAMP Patented 0ct. 14, 1851.

ThE NORRIS PETER ca, wm'aumou wnsumo'rou. n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAPMAN WARNER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

' LAMP FOR BURNING VAPOR 0F BENZOL, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 8,433, dated October 14, 1851.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHAPMAN WARNER, at present residing in the city of WVashington, in the District of Columbia, have made a new and useful Improvement in the Method of Burning Benzol, Ether, and Hydrocarbons for the Purpose of Illumina tion; and I do hereby declare that the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and which represents views of my etherial gas-generator and lamp.

Many attempts have from time to time been made to produce a constant and invariable light by burning the vapors of various liquid hydrocarbons, whose vapor was carried off to a jet by means of a current of some aeriform fluid passed through it.

The object proposed to be obtained by mixing the hydrocarbons is to obtain a vapor which shall contain such proportions of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon that it shall burn in air without smoke while at the same time it shall produce an intense light.

In all the attempts which have heretofore been made to produce light by this method the important properties before mentioned have been sought to be attained by pouring a mixture of the liquid hydrocarbons in cer tain proportions into a close vessel, and passing through it a current of air, which in its passage becomes charged with vapor, and is then conducted to a jet at which it is burnt. This method is defective, for the reason that the different hydrocarbons have different degrees of volatility, and, as the burning fluid produced, is merely a mechanical mixture, the most volatile liquid will be first exhausted, leaving the larger portion of the less volatile one in the vessel. It is also found that the vapor produced, when the air is first passed through the liquid will contain a large proportion of the more volatile hydrocarbon, and that this proportion continually decreases as the process is continued; hence the light produced will vary in intensity and volume, and this variation is so considerable that the light is wholly unfitted for the ordinary purposes of illumination, for which a steady uniform light is indispensable.

The object of my invention is to obviate the abovementioned defects and it consists of a generator constructed in such manner that the vapors of the several hydrocarbons are formed separately in such relative quantities as are found best adapted to producing the best effect and are then mixed together and burned in combination, by which means a steady light and the regular, proportionate and complete combustion of all the different liquids are insured, however much they may differ in volatility.

The lamp represented in section in the accompanying drawing consists mainly of a body A. to contain the liquids, of a hollow stem B into which currents of air or some other aeriform fluid are introduced, and the burner, or tube to conduct the vapor to the burner.

The body may be of any convenient size and form, but I prefer to make it broad in proportion to its depth, in order that the depth of the liquid, may not vary materially as it is burned away. This body is connected with the hollow stem B which extends downward from the body and is of great depth in proportion to its diameter, in order that it may hold a suflicient depth of liquid to afford time for the saturation of the air by its vapor, and at the same time it may not contain a greater quantity of the liquid than may be necessary for a single charge. The stem and body are divided into as many separate chambers as there are fluids whose mingled vapors are to be burned, by means of partitions f, which extend from the bottom of the stem to within a short distance of the top of the body.

As the generator represented is designed for mingling the vapors of two liquids, it is divided into two compartments or chambers 0 and (Z by means of a transverse partition A pipe g, is introduced into the lower extremity of each compartment of the generator and is connected with some reservoir from which the aeriform fluid can be obtained or with a bellows or pump. Each pipe is also fitted with a stop cock 2' i by means of which the quantity of the fluid can be regulated.

For ordinary purposes I prefer to use common air as the aeriform fluid and to conduct it to the pipes from an ordinary gasometer which may be filled prior to using, by means of a bellows or otherwise. The upper extremities of the chambers of the generator are closed by a perforated diaphragm h, whose oflice is to prevent the ejection of the liquids from one compartment or chamber into the adjoining ones, and also to form a space 7c 70 or vapor chest in which the vapors from all the chambers are mingled. This vapor chest as represented is surmounted by the burner L, which in this instance is a pipe terminated by jets 0', 0, at which the vapors issue and are burned. Or the vapors may be conducted from the chest by suitable pipes to any desired point to burn.

The liquids which I employ for the purpose of producing light are the substances generally known as ether and as benzol. I take these two substances and introduce them separately into the separate chambers of the generator. WVhen the liquids have been introduced into the chambers, currents of common air are forced through the pipes; g, 9. As the air from the pipes bubbles through the liquids, it becomes charged with their vapors which mix together in the vapor chest k is and finally issue at the jets of the burner where the mingled air and vapor are ignited; the quantity of light is easily regulated by admitting greater or less quantities of air, and the light produced although much more brilliant is analogous to that of'ordinary coal gas. In cool weather it will be found that the evaporation of the liquid reduces its temperature too'low to enable it too vaporize with facility; in such cases I propose to arrange the pipes in such manner that the air from, the gasometer shall be heated before it enters the liquid.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent is The generator and lamp consisting essentially of chambers long and narrow at their lower extremities and fitted with pipes or their equivalents for the introduction of air, the said chambers communicating at'their upper extremities with a common reservoir or vapor space or chest in which the Vapors from the chambers are mingled prior to burning, and the relative volumes of the inflammable vapors being regulated by the adjustment of the respective currents of air, whereby the regular proportionate and economical consumption of.

the fluids is insured and an equable light of the requisite intensity and volume is maintained substantially as herein set forth.

CHAPMAN WARNER.

Witnesses:

BENJ. WARNER, T. C. DoNN.

herein described 

